Systemic

Davarie Armstrong was a high school student with a bright future ahead of him, but his life was tragically cut short. Teenagers at a party shot Davarie with several guns, including a semi-automatic high-powered rifle. How do we stop guns from getting into the hands of teenagers? Jason McBride puts pressure on Colorado legislators to make changes to punish social media platforms that sell guns online.

Host, reporter and producer: Jo Erickson

Producers: Stephanie Wolf and Shane Rumsey

Editor: Rachel Estabrook

Music: Daniel Mescher

Executive producer: Kevin Dale

Art: Jodi Gersh

Thanks also to Hart van Denburg, Kevin J. Beaty, Shelby Filangi and Jon Pinnow

Aurora Police have a new strategy to help reduce youth gun crime. It partners a police force that’s been under the microscope for its treatment of Black and brown communities with leaders in those same communities to try to keep kids from turning to violence.

SAVE, Standing Against Violence Everyday, is different from other policing methods. The intent is to keep individuals alive, safe and free. Aurora Police believe the old way of arresting and incarcerating teens wasn’t changing anything. It didn’t stop youths from joining gangs, nor stop innocent young people from being killed. Something needed to change. But does the Black community really believe the police can change? Jason McBride is left in a position where he straddles both sides of the fence.

Host, reporter and producer: Jo Erickson

Producers: Stephanie Wolf and Shane Rumsey

Editor: Rachel Estabrook

Music: Daniel Mescher

Executive producer: Kevin Dale

Art: Jodi Gersh

Thanks also to Hart van Denburg, Kevin J. Beaty, Shelby Filangi and Jon Pinnow

Sam Elfay was just 13 years old when he started skipping school. Somewhere along the way Elfay had lost interest. As soon as his father dropped him off at school he’d wait until his dad left, then skip class. Elfay’s appetite for more danger in his life grew. He started to break into houses and cars, stealing whatever he could get his hands on. Then one day he stole a gun from someone’s car. That changed everything. It led him into the Crips gang. Then he met Jason McBride, a youth violence crime prevention specialist who managed to convince Elfay to take a different path away from gun crime.

Host, reporter and producer: Jo Erickson

Producers: Stephanie Wolf and Shane Rumsey

Editor: Rachel Estabrook

Music: Daniel Mescher

Executive producer: Kevin Dale

Art: Jodi Gersh

Thanks also to Hart van Denburg, Kevin J. Beaty, Shelby Filangi and Jon Pinnow

Youth gun crime is rising and it disproportionately affects Black and brown people. This crime is often sidelined as a community problem, which dismisses the reasons young Black men get caught up in an environment of violence, crime and death.

Systemic, hosted and reported by Jo Erickson, is back for Season 3, to tell the stories of those who fight injustice as they attempt to dismantle the status quo. This season, the series dives deep into the lives of teenagers at risk of being incarcerated and the steps community leaders, police and legislators are taking to reduce youth gun crime. 

The podcast returns August 11. Follow the show wherever you listen so you don’t miss an episode.

When it comes to prosecuting hate crimes, Colorado didn’t have a great track record until they amended Colorado’s bias-motivated crimes statute.

In this bonus episode of Systemic, we look at how Melissa Hall, a Black parent who was racially abused while volunteering on school premises, tested this new amendment in court.

Host and producer: Jo Erickson

Leaders in Denver Public Schools acknowledge existing inequities in schools and are trying to address them. They recognize the lack of people of color in leadership positions has created policies that led to disparities between white students and students of color. To redress this problem, DPS created a leadership program. But while it solves some problems, it may create new ones. In this episode we follow educator Paulina Lerma as she attempts to break the glass ceiling to become a Latina principal.

The number of Black teachers leaving the profession is rising. Kevin Adams is a social studies teacher working in Denver Public Schools. He’s very popular with students and parents, but struggles with microaggressions from his colleagues. Like many Black teachers, he thinks about quitting education. Why are Black teachers walking away? Kevin and his friend started a podcast to put a spotlight on the hard truths about why teachers of color are leaving the profession. In this episode we follow Kevin Adams as he navigates a stream of microaggressions.

The dramatic exit of the superintendent and changes to school equity policies is cause for concern for Naomi Lopez, a speech therapist in Colorado Springs School District 11. Lopez works with children in special education who require services from the equity department. Without the equity leadership team overseeing the work, she fears her students will miss vital resources that assist in their academic goals. Naomi’s problems grew when two board members expressed transphobic messages on social media, and she feared for the safety of her gender fluid child. We follow Naomi Lopez as she tries to steer the board toward equity policies while addressing her concerns that her gender-fluid child is a target because of the school board's anti-LGBTQ comments.

Racial tension has been building in Colorado Springs School District 11 for some time. School volunteer Melissa Hall was racially abused by a white parent in the school parking lot. But tension escalated when the superintendent abruptly resigned and a school board member made racial comments toward Black men who attended a school board meeting. In this episode we follow Melissa Hall, a Black parent, as she feels the full impact of withholding equity policies as a school volunteer and a mother of four kids.

Conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion found their way into schools, classrooms, and school board meetings over the past few years. But fixing an entire education system isn’t simple.

Systemic, hosted and reported by Jo Erickson, is back for Season 2. This season, teachers, parents, students and administrators of color are asking hard questions about the American education system.

What topics get to be included in the curriculum? How can educators make schools a place where every family feels like they belong? And how do we keep students safe?

Systemic tells the stories of those who fight injustice as they attempt to dismantle the status quo. In each episode, you’ll hear from a person from a diverse community in Colorado trying to make a difference in education. In the audio diaries and interviews, you’ll hear their triumphs and struggles. And why they refuse to stand idly by and prop-up a broken system.

The podcast returns January 10. Follow the show wherever you listen so you don’t miss an episode.